[US-VA] [WTB] 104/108 Hot-swappable Keyboard

Just getting back into keyboards after an extended sabbatical (most recent active around 2015…), and of course I’ve been buying switches and keycaps like a man possessed.

But I don’t have a single hot-swappable keyboard - these weren’t really a thing 7 years ago. Anyone looking to get rid of a full-size or close equivalent?

Prefer full-size as most of my keyboards are 108-key Ducky or similar, I like function keys and number pad. Budget is sub-$350, not looking for a fully CNC-machined brass case or anything fancy, just a stable platform to try out a few of my incoming switch/keycap buys.

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Welcome back! Man, has a lot changed since 2015 - and that’s right when it really started accelerating, too. I think you picked a great time to jump back in; there’s still new stuff going on but not quite the explosion of the past couple years.

If you’re looking for a full-size switch-testing platform, Keychrons really aren’t a bad option:


The C2 is inexpensive, has a few options, and has 5-pin support across the whole keyboard:


The K10 is wireless, has some more options, but the tilde key only supports 3-pins:


The Q6 is probably as close to a full-size custom you’ll get without actually buying a full-size custom:

They call it a custom on their site - maybe it is. I’ll get into those weeds another day - it’s got even more options than the other two and does manage to be less than $350 while also being QMK compatible.

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Thanks very much for the detailed recommendations! I like the look of the Q6, and it’s all metal? :exploding_head: I ordered the barebones version in Navy Blue, looking forward to trying out all the switches I’ve accumulated.

Much obliged!

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